Barcodes with graphical elements

ABSTRACT

Barcodes are provided that convey images to help consumers and/or to help identify information about the origin of an article. The images conveyed by the barcodes may be associated with a merchant, a department, an event, a season, a theme or a product, for example. The barcodes may be placed on any number of articles including purchaser receipts, gift receipts, marketing receipt coupons, paper coupons, electronic coupons, rewards cards, gift cards, registry printouts, and products/packaging, for example. Under some embodiments, the barcodes help consumers to associate articles with a particular merchant or department. Under other embodiments, the barcodes help consumers to distinguish purchaser receipts from gift receipts. In some embodiments, the barcodes are generated dynamically by altering font-based barcodes to convey the image.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application60/881,029 filed on Jan. 18, 2007.

BACKGROUND

Barcodes are graphical patterns of black rectangles separated by whitespaces. In one dimensional barcodes, the widths of the black rectanglesand white spaces are used to encode alpha-numeric values.

In the retail industry, barcodes are found on products, coupon offers,and sales receipts. At a point-of-sale terminal, the barcode on aproduct is scanned to determine the widths of the rectangles and spaces.This information is then decoded to generate a numeric value that can beapplied against a database to retrieve a price and description for theproduct. Similarly, coupon barcodes are scanned to produce a numericvalue that represents the savings offer associated with the coupon andin some cases to produce a numeric value that represents the item thatis to be purchased with the coupon. For example, one portion of thebarcode will indicate that the coupon is for bananas, and anotherportion of the barcode will indicate that the coupon providesfifty-cents off. The barcode on a receipt identifies the transactionassociated with the receipt and allows the merchant to quickly locateinformation about the transaction simply by scanning the barcode on thereceipt.

Current barcodes are limited because they only provide encodedinformation. As a result, they are of little use to consumers and attimes occupy valuable space that could otherwise be used to communicatewith consumers. In addition, because the barcodes only provide encodedinformation, fraudulent consumers have placed fake barcodes on packagesso that a less expensive product will be identified at the point-of-saleterminal based on the fake barcode.

The discussion above is merely provided for general backgroundinformation and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining thescope of the claimed subject matter.

SUMMARY

Barcodes that convey images in addition to encoding information are usedon articles such as products, receipts, registries, gift cards andcoupons, for example, to determine the origin of the articles. Under oneembodiment, design elements are added to barcodes on receipts to detectthe origin of the receipt and to help consumers distinguish purchaserreceipts from gift receipts. In another embodiment, design elements areadded to barcodes on coupons to convey information to consumers as towhere the coupons can be redeemed and/or what items are to be purchasedwith the coupons. In further embodiments, design elements are added tobarcodes on products to help identify whether a merchant sold theproduct and to determine whether a barcode is fake. To allow multipleusers within an organization to utilize design elements with any desiredbarcode, a style-sheet of acceptable design elements that have beentested with a number of different barcodes is published within theorganization.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementationsthat solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of determining the origin of anarticle using barcode designs under one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example of a barcode design under one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for printing barcode designs on receipts underone embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an example of a barcode design on a purchaser receipt underone embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an example of a barcode design on a gift receipt under oneembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of printing a receipt marketingcoupon under one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an example of a receipt marketing coupon under one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an example of a receipt marketing coupon with a barcode designelement under one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an example of a coupon with a barcode design that conveys animage associated with a merchant under one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an example of a coupon with a barcode design that conveys animage associated with a product under one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an example of a coupon with a barcode design that conveys animage associated with a product and a barcode design that conveys animage associated with a merchant under one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an example of a discount offer that includes a barcode designthat indicates a merchant under one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an example of a discount offer that includes a barcode designthat indicates a department under one embodiment.

FIG. 14 provides a flow diagram for sending a coupon to an electronicdevice under one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an example of a barcode design displayed on a portablecomputing device under one embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram for forming and using style sheets under oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein use barcodes that convey images to helpconsumers and to help identify information about the origin of anarticle. The images conveyed by the barcodes may be associated with amerchant, a department, an event, a season, a theme or a product, forexample. The barcodes may be placed on any number of articles includingpurchaser receipts, gift receipts, marketing receipt coupons, papercoupons, electronic coupons, rewards cards, gift cards, registryprintouts, and products/packaging, for example. Under some embodiments,the barcodes help consumers to associate articles with a particularmerchant or department. Under other embodiments, the barcodes helpconsumers to distinguish purchaser receipts from gift receipts. In someembodiments, the barcodes are generated dynamically by alteringfont-based barcodes to convey the image. In other embodiments, graphicalelements are added around barcodes such that the same graphical elementsmay be used with a large number of possible barcodes to convey the sameimage.

FIG. 1 provides a flow diagram of a general method for using a barcodewith graphical elements to obtain information about the origin of anarticle. In step 100, a barcode with a graphical element that conveys animage that provides information about the origin of the article isgenerated. FIG. 2 provides an example of such a barcode.

In FIG. 2, a graphical pattern 200 consists of dark elements, such aselements 202 and 204, that are separated by horizontal spaces, such asspaces 206 and 208. The widths of the dark elements and the widths ofthe spaces extend horizontally in FIG. 2, while the heights of the darkelements extend vertically. The widths of the dark elements and thewidths of the spaces encode information that is designed to be read by abarcode scanner. The graphical pattern as a whole also conveys an imageto a person other than a block barcode. For example, in FIG. 2, thegraphical pattern conveys the image of the sun. In addition to the darkelements that encode the information, additional dark elements, such ascurves 210 and 212, can be provided to further convey the image.

Barcode images of some embodiments are generated by modifying elementsproduced by a font-based barcode by modifying descriptions of curves andline segments that define an outline barcode font. These modificationscan include adding additional curves and/or line segments to the fontdescription, changing the starting point/ending point of one or morecurves and or line-segments in the font description, or changing theshape of one or more curves in the font description. After modifying thefont description for the barcode, the barcode can be generated bypassing the font description through a rasterizer, which identifiespixels that are to be dark based on the font description and the printeror display where the barcode will appear. The identified pixels form abitmap image that is then transferred to the printer or display.

In other embodiments, the descriptions of the curves and lines of thebarcode fonts are not modified in order to modify the barcode elements.Instead, the barcode fonts are used to generate a bitmap that representsa standard block barcode and then the elements of this bitmap aremodified by applying the bitmap to a mask. The mask allows some pixelsof the barcode to pass unchanged while removing other pixels to definethe final image of the barcode. For example, in FIG. 2, the mask wouldremove all pixels that are outside of the outer perimeter of the sun. Insome embodiments, the mask may also add additional pixels to the barcodeor outside of the barcode to help convey the image. In furtherembodiments, the barcode may be drawn with the aid of a computer andstored as image data in a file. Such image data may consist of a bitmapor a compressed bitmap formed through a known compression algorithm. Infurther embodiments, the standard block barcode is not altered butadditional design elements are added around the block barcode.

The barcode may be generated and stored long before it is to be printed.Alternatively, the barcode may be generated dynamically just prior tobeing displayed or printed. Such dynamic generation is useful when alarge number of different barcodes will be used. For example, dynamicgeneration is useful when barcodes are used to encode a transactionidentifier on a receipt because every receipt receives its owntransaction identifier and thus its own barcode. Under some embodiments,a large number of different barcodes are dynamically generated so thatall of the barcodes convey the same image even though they encodedifferent information.

Graphical elements added to the barcode must be positioned carefully soas to not interfere with scanning of the barcode. In particular,vertical elements that are in line with the barcode can bemisinterpreted as being part of the barcode. Under one embodiment of thepresent invention, vertical elements are kept a minimum distance awayfrom the beginning and ending of the barcode. For example, under oneembodiment, vertical elements are prevented from being within ¾ of aninch of the beginning of the barcode and are prevented from being within¾ of an inch of the end of the barcode.

After the barcode image has been generated, it is placed on an articleat step 102. This can involve printing the barcode on a purchaserreceipt, a gift receipt, a marketing receipt coupon, a gift card, arewards card, a registry printout, a coupon, a product/package, or asticker that may be placed on an article, to name several examples. Inaddition, placing the barcode on an article may include placingcomputer-readable data that represents the barcode in a file or messagethat represents an electronic coupon or offer.

At step 104, an article such as a receipt, coupon, rewards card orproduct package, to name a few examples, is received at a merchant. Atstep 106, the image conveyed by the visual design elements of thebarcode and graphical elements around the barcode are evaluated todetermine information about the origin of the article. For example, theimage conveyed by a barcode and associated graphical elements on areceipt or coupon may be examined to determine if the image is one of aset of images associated with a particular merchant in order todetermine if the receipt or coupon is authentic. The image conveyed by abarcode and associated graphical elements on a product may be used todetermine if the barcode is the correct or authentic barcode for theproduct. This can help to determine if a fake barcode has been placed onthe product. The image conveyed by a barcode and associated graphicalelements on a product may also be used to determine whether the productcame from a particular merchant. This can help detect product returns tothe wrong merchant.

FIG. 3 provides a flow diagram of a method for generatingtransaction-related documents consisting of a purchaser receipt and agift receipt under one embodiment. In step 300, a transaction identifierfor the transaction is determined. Under one embodiment, the transactionidentifier is a multi-digit number that uniquely identifies thetransaction in a merchant database. At step 302, at least one item thatis being purchased is entered into a point of sale terminal. Typically,this is done by scanning the barcode of the item. After all of the itemsthat are being purchased in this transaction have been entered into thepoint of sale terminal, a purchaser receipt graphical pattern, such as abarcode and associated graphical elements, is generated that encodes thetransaction identifier and that conveys a visual image. Examples of suchvisual images include icons associated with the merchant and the name ofthe merchant, and images associated with a season, event, theme,department, and product.

The purchaser receipt graphical pattern is then printed on the purchaserreceipt at step 306. Item records that contain information about theitems that were involved in this transaction are then printed on thepurchaser receipt at step 308. Note that the order of printing shown inFIG. 3 is only an example and in other embodiments the barcode may beprinted after the information about the items. At step 310, thepurchaser receipt is at least partially cut from the paper roll that itis printed on.

FIG. 4 provides an example of a purchaser receipt 400 that can beproduced through steps 300-310 of FIG. 3. Purchaser receipt 400 includesa merchant logo area 402, a date/time area 404 and graphical pattern406. Merchant logo area 402 can include one or more icons or words thatidentify the merchant. Date/time area 404 records the date and time ofthe transaction. Graphical pattern 406 encodes the transactionidentifier and conveys an image that is associated with the merchant. InFIG. 4, graphical pattern 406 conveys the image of the sun. Thetransaction identifier is also printed in numeric form in a transactionidentifier area 424 that is at the bottom of purchaser receipt 400, awayfrom graphical pattern 406. Purchaser receipt 400 also includes a listof item records 408, and 410, which each include an internalidentification field 414, a description field 416 and a price field 418.Internal identification field 414 provides a value that internallyidentifies the item in the merchant database. Description field 416provides a short text description of the item. Price field 418 indicatesthe price of the item. Purchaser receipt 400 also includes a tax field420 that indicates the tax generated by the transaction and a totalfield 422 that indicates the total due and paid for the transaction.

Returning to FIG. 3, at step 312, a gift receipt graphical pattern, suchas a barcode and associated graphical elements, is generated thatencodes the transaction identifier. Under one embodiment, the giftreceipt graphical pattern encodes the same transaction identifier as thepurchaser receipt graphical pattern. The gift receipt graphical patternalso conveys a visual image that distinguishes the gift receipt from thepurchaser receipt to make it easier for consumers to know which part ofthe receipt is the purchaser receipt and which part is the gift receipt.This can include conveying a different visual image that is alsoassociated with the merchant or conveying a visual image that isassociated with gifts such as packages and bows, for example.

At step 314, the gift receipt graphical pattern is printed on the giftreceipt. Item records that provide a second form of information aboutthe items that are being purchased is then printed on the gift receiptat step 316. This form of information typically includes the price in anencoded form so that it is not apparent from the gift receipt. At step318, the gift receipt is at least partially cut from the paper roll.

FIG. 5 provides an example of a gift receipt 500. Gift receipt 500includes merchant logo area 502, gift text area 504 and gift receiptgraphical pattern 506. Merchant logo area 502 identifies the merchantwith an icon and/or text. Gift text area 504 identifies the receipt as agift receipt. Gift receipt graphical pattern 506 encodes the transactionidentifier, which is provided in numeric form in field 518, and alsoincludes graphical elements that convey the image of a gift box to makeit easier for the purchaser to distinguish the gift receipt from thepurchaser receipt. In particular, gift receipt graphical pattern 506includes barcode elements 526, which appear to form two sides to a box,top outline 528 and bottom outline 529, which form the top and bottom ofthe box, respectively, and bow 530. Gift receipt 500 also includes itemrecords 508 and 510, which include internal identifier field 512, textdescription 514, and encoded price 516.

Barcodes and associated graphical elements that convey images may alsobe applied to coupons printed on marketing receipts. Under oneembodiment, such coupons are printed on a receipt marketing coupon chitthat prints at the end of a receipt after the purchaser receipt and/orgift receipt. Under one embodiment, such receipt marketing couponsinclude an image area and a font-based barcode area. FIG. 6 provides aflow diagram for printing receipt marketing coupons with barcodes andassociated graphical elements that convey an image by utilizing theimage area and the font-based barcode area.

In step 600 of FIG. 6, a coupon to be printed on a marketing receipt isidentified. At step 601, a coupon identifier, such as the word “COUPON”,for example, is printed on the marketing receipt. At step 602, adetermination is made as to whether image data that describes a barcodeand associated graphical elements is available for the coupon. Suchimage data is distinguished from font-based data in that the image datais not described as a set of curves and line segments as is font-baseddata. Instead, such image data represents a bitmap of the barcode andassociated graphical elements. Such image data may be compressed ifdesired using any known compression algorithm.

At step 604, if image data for a barcode and associated graphicalelements is not stored for this coupon, font-based barcode elements thatencode an offer identifier are used to construct a bitmap of a standardblock barcode for the coupon. At step 605, offer information thatdescribes the coupon offer is printed in the image area. At step 606,any limitations for the coupon, such as “Limit 1 per customer”, forexample, are printed and at step 607, a merchant identifier such as themerchant's name or the merchant's logo is printed. At step 608, thebitmap of the barcode is printed in the font-based barcode area of thereceipt coupon.

FIG. 7 provides an example of a receipt marketing coupon 700 in which animage of a barcode and associated graphical elements was not availableat step 602. Receipt marketing coupon 700 includes a coupon identifier701, image area 702, limitations area 704, merchant identifier 706 andfont-based barcode area 708. Coupon area 701 identifies this chit as acoupon. Limitations area 704 describes the limitations placed on thecoupon. Merchant identifier 706 identifies the merchant where thiscoupon may be redeemed. Image area 702 describes the offer associatedwith the coupon. Font-based barcode area 708 includes a standard blockbarcode that encodes the offer identifier for coupon 700.

Returning to FIG. 6, if there is image data that represents a barcodeand associated graphical elements for the coupon at step 602, offer textis printed on the marketing receipt at step 609 that partially describesthe offer associated with the coupon. At step 610, the image data forthe barcode and associated graphical elements is used to print thebarcode and associated graphical elements in the image area of themarketing receipt coupon. Limitations on the offer are printed at step611 and a merchant identifier is printed at step 612. At step 613, thefont-based barcode area is turned off so that the font-based barcode isprevented from being printed on the marketing receipt. After step 613,or step 608, the receipt coupon chit is cut from the paper roll at step614.

FIG. 8 provides an example of a marketing receipt coupon chit 800 inwhich image data for a barcode and associated graphical elements wasavailable at step 602. Marketing receipt coupon 800 includes couponidentifier 802, image area 804, limitations area 806 and merchantidentifier area 808. Coupon identifier area 802, limitations area 806and merchant identifier area 808 are identical to coupon identifier area701, limitations area 704 and merchant identifier area 706 of FIG. 7.Image area 804 includes text information 810 about the offer and abarcode and associated graphical elements 812 that conveys an image, inthis case an image of a detergent box, and that encodes an offeridentifier associated with marketing receipt coupon 800. Note thatreceipt marketing coupon 800 does not include a font-based barcode areasince the barcode is incorporated into image area 804.

By conveying an image with the barcode in the receipt marketing coupon,it is believed that the image will attract consumers' attention and helpthem to differentiate the marketing receipt coupon from the otherportions of the receipt. This in turn will help with redemption of thecoupon, thereby driving further sales.

Barcodes and associated graphical elements that convey images may alsobe applied to coupons that are distributed through circulars, directmail, magazines, newspapers, e-mails and internet websites. In thesecoupons, the amount of space available to describe the offer andidentify the merchant where the offer may be redeemed is limited becausethe size of the coupon is limited. As a result, placing a standard blockbarcode on a coupon occupies valuable space on the coupon but does notconvey information to the consumer. In particular, current barcodes donot help the consumer to know what the offer on the coupon is related toor the location where the coupon may be redeemed.

FIG. 9 provides an example of a coupon 900. Coupon 900 may be printed onany form of paper or cardstock and in some embodiments may be printed onplastic. The paper and cardstock may form part of a larger sheet ofpaper or be adhered to a piece of paper.

Coupon 900 includes an offer barcode 902 and an item barcode 904. Offerbarcode 902 encodes an offer identifier and also conveys an imageassociated with a merchant where the coupon may be redeemed. Itembarcode 904 is a block barcode that encodes an item identifier for theitem that is to be purchased with the coupon. A numeric item code 906and a numeric offer code 908 provide numeric representations of theinformation encoded by barcodes 904 and 902, respectively. A textdescription of the offer 910 is also provided on the coupon.

By providing barcode 902 in a shape that conveys an image associatedwith a merchant, coupon 900 makes it easier for consumers to associatethe coupon with a particular merchant so that they can bring the couponto the correct merchant for redemption.

FIG. 10 provides an example of a coupon 1000 that includes an itembarcode 1004 and an offer barcode 1002. Item barcode 1004 encodes anitem identifier and is shaped and is provided with additional graphicalelements 1005 to convey an image of the item that is to be purchasedwith the coupon, in this case bananas. Offer barcode 1002 encodes anoffer identifier and is a standard block barcode. Coupon 1000 alsoincludes a numeric item code 1006 and a numeric offer code 1008 thatprovide a human readable form of the information encoded in shapedbarcode 1004 and standard block barcode 1002, respectively. By usingshaped barcode 1004, coupon 1000 is able to quickly convey to the userwhat is to be purchased with the coupon. In addition, the shaped barcodemay draw the attention of a consumer so that they are more likely toredeem the coupon.

FIG. 11 provides an example of a coupon 1100 in which an offer barcode1102 and an item barcode 1104 are both shaped. In particular, offerbarcode 1102 is shaped to provide an indication of a location where thecoupon can be redeemed, such as a merchant or a department within amerchant. Item barcode 1104 is shaped to convey the image of the item tobe purchased with the coupon. Using both shaped barcodes, coupon 1100quickly conveys to the consumer the items that are being offered in thecoupon and the location where the coupon may be redeemed.

FIG. 12 provides another example of an offer card or coupon 1200 thatincludes a barcode and associated graphical elements that identifies amerchant where the offer may be redeemed. Barcode 1202 is shaped toconvey an image that is associated with a particular merchant andencodes an offer identifier. A numeric representation of the offeridentifier is provided in offer code area 1206. A text area 1204describes the offer.

FIG. 13 provides an example of an offer card or coupon 1300 thatincludes a barcode 1302 and graphical elements 1312 that together conveyan image that indicates a department within a merchant where the offermay be redeemed. As noted in the text area 1304, the offer of FIG. 13 isfor $5.00 off a $50.00 purchase in a baby department. To better indicateto the user that the offer is for items in a baby department, barcode1302 forms part of a graphical pattern 1310 that also includes agraphical element 1312. Barcode 1302 and graphical element 1312 togetherconvey an image of a baby bottle. In the embodiment of FIG. 13, barcode1302 is not altered from a standard block barcode. Instead, the positionand appearance of graphical element 1312 relative to barcode 1302 isused to convey the image of the baby bottle. Barcode 1302 also encodes anumeric offer identifier that is listed in numeric form in offer codearea 1306. A merchant identifier 1308 is also provided on offer 1300.

Under one embodiment, graphical element 1312 is printed with an ink thatreflects the wavelengths of light used by a barcode scanner to readbarcode 1302. Since the background of coupon 1300 also reflects thesewavelengths of light, graphical element 1312 is sensed as being part ofthe background of coupon 1300 by the barcode scanner. Because of this,although graphical element 1312 is visibly distinct from the backgroundof coupon 1300, graphical element 1312 does not interfere with thereading of barcode 1302 by the barcode scanner.

Coupons may also be sent electronically to consumers. FIG. 14 provides aflow diagram for sending a coupon with a barcode and associatedgraphical elements to an electronic device. In step 1400, a user devicethat is to receive the electronic coupon is identified. Example devicesinclude portable devices such as cellular phones, personal digitalassistance (PDA) and portable media players. Other electronic devicesinclude desktop personal computers and appliances with computing devicesbuilt therein, such as refrigerators.

Based on the device that will receive the electronic coupon, anelectronic coupon with a barcode and associated graphical elements thatconvey an image, such as an image associated with a merchant,department, event, season, theme, or product, for example, is selectedat step 1402. At step 1404, the electronic coupon is transmitted to theuser's device and at step 1406 the coupon is displayed on the user'sdevice so that the barcode and associated graphical elements, if any,are viewable. At step 1408, an optional step is provided in which theuser is allowed to print the coupon. By using a barcode that conveys animage, the present embodiment better utilizes the limited space found onmany computing devices, such as cellular phones, PDAs, and portablemedia players. This allows users to more quickly determine whether theyare interested in the electronic coupon thereby improving the chancesthat the consumer will actually redeem the coupon.

FIG. 15 provides an example of a portable computing device in which anelectronic coupon is displayed. Device 1500 includes a keypad 1502 and adisplay 1504. On display 1504, an electronic coupon is displayed thatincludes a barcode 1506 that encodes an offer identifier and that isshaped to convey an image. The electronic coupon also includes a textoffer area 1508 that describes the coupon offer. Electronic coupons mayalso be downloaded from websites on the internet by navigating to thewebsites and clicking on a link or control to download the electroniccoupons.

Adding graphical elements to a barcode can make it difficult for abarcode reader to recognize the barcode. In particular, some graphicalelements can be misinterpreted as being part of the barcode by thebarcode reader and changes to the shape of the barcode can make itdifficult for the barcode reader to read the entire barcode. In a retailsetting, interference with reading a barcode is to be avoided since itincreases the time needed to process a guest's purchases.

In addition, adding graphical elements to a barcode to convey an imagecan result in an image that contains intellectual property such as aTrademark, Service mark, Trade Dress or Copyright. To avoid laterdifficulties, it is desirable to evaluate the image conveyed by thegraphical elements and the barcode before using the graphical elementsand the barcode in a retail setting.

Thus, each set of graphical elements that are to be added to barcodesneed to be tested to ensure that the barcode will scan well with theaddition of the graphical elements. In addition, the image conveyed bythe graphical elements and the barcodes must be evaluated to determineif the image represents intellectual property. This makes designinggraphical elements for use with barcodes time-consuming and sometimesdifficult.

Under one embodiment, to avoid having large numbers of people within anorganization spending time to develop graphical elements that can beused with barcodes, a style sheet is created for an organization thatprovides examples of graphical elements that can be used with barcodes.These style sheets are made available to members of the organization sothat they can quickly select graphical elements that meet their needsand that will allow a barcode to be scanned efficiently.

FIG. 16 provides a flow diagram of a method for creating and using astyle sheet of graphical elements that can be used with barcodes toconvey an image. In step 1600, graphical elements to be added tobarcodes are designed. The graphical elements are then added to aplurality of different barcodes to form a plurality of graphicalpatterns at step 1602. At step 1604, each of the graphical patterns istested to ensure that each barcode is machine-readable after theaddition of the graphical elements. Under some embodiments, each barcodemust be recognized on a single pass of the scanner in order to beconsidered machine-readable. In other embodiments, a barcode will beconsidered machine-readable even if it is not recognized on a first passof the scanner, as long as the barcode is eventually recognized by thescanner on a subsequent scan, for example.

By testing the graphical elements with multiple barcodes, thisembodiment helps to ensure that the graphical elements can be used withany desired barcode without affecting the recognition of the barcode.Thus, through this testing, the embodiment establishes that otherbarcodes that have not been tested will likely also be machine-readablewhen used with the graphical elements.

At step 1606, a determination is made as to whether testing wassuccessful. If the barcode was not machine-readable at step 1606, theprocess returns to step 1600 to redesign the graphical elements, changetheir position relative to the barcodes, or alter the color of thegraphical elements. Steps 1602 and 1604 are then repeated for theredesigned graphical elements.

When graphical elements have been designed that allow the barcodes to beread by a scanner, the image conveyed by the combination of thegraphical elements with a barcode is evaluated to determine if the imagerepresents intellectual property such as Trademarks, Service marks,Trade Dress, and Copyrights. After the image has been evaluated and iscleared for use, the graphical elements are placed in a style sheet atstep 1610 for use with a plurality of barcodes, including at least onebarcode that was not used during testing.

A style sheet indicates the size and appearance of the graphicalelements, the colors of the graphical elements, and the positioning ofthe graphical elements relative to the barcode. For example, under oneembodiment, the style sheet indicates that a graphical element must bepositioned at least ¾ of an inch to the left of the beginning of thebarcode. In another embodiment, the style sheet indicates that agraphical element must be positioned at least ¾ of an inch to the rightof the end of the barcode. In some embodiments, the style sheet alsoindicates the space that the barcode is to occupy relative to thegraphical elements. A single style sheet may be provided for allgraphical elements that are to be used with barcodes or different stylesheets may be provided for different types of graphical elements.

At step 1612, access to the style sheet is provided to members of anorganization. For example, access to the style sheet may be provided toemployees of a corporation or to the design staff of a corporation.

At step 1614, the style sheet is searched for graphical elements to usewith a new barcode. At step 1616, the graphical elements form the stylesheet and the new barcode are applied to a printed surface such as aproduct, coupon, receipt, gift card, for example, in accordance with theparameters set in the style sheet for the color, size and positioning ofthe graphical elements relative to the barcode.

Although references are made above to barcodes, those skilled in the artwill recognize that any graphical patterns that encode information maybe used in any of the embodiments discussed above.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

1. A method comprising: generating a purchaser receipt graphical patternthat encodes a transaction identifier; printing the purchaser receiptgraphical pattern on a purchaser receipt; generating a gift receiptgraphical pattern that encodes the transaction identifier and thatconveys an image that distinguishes the gift receipt graphical patternfrom the purchaser receipt graphical pattern; and printing the giftreceipt graphical pattern on a gift receipt.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein generating a purchaser receipt graphical pattern comprisesgenerating a purchaser receipt graphical pattern that conveys an imageassociated with a merchant.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein generatingthe gift receipt graphical pattern comprises dynamically modifyingpattern elements to convey the image.
 4. The method of claim 3 whereingenerating the gift receipt graphical pattern comprises addingadditional graphical elements to barcode elements to convey the image.5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: generating a marketingreceipt graphical pattern that encodes an offer identifier and thatconveys an image; printing the marketing receipt graphical pattern on amarketing receipt coupon.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the marketingreceipt graphical pattern conveys an image associated with one of agroup comprising: a merchant, a department, an event, a season, a theme,and a product.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein printing the marketingreceipt graphical pattern comprises printing the marketing receiptgraphical pattern based on image data representing the marketing receiptgraphical pattern while preventing a font-based barcode from printing onthe marketing receipt coupon.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein printingthe marketing receipt graphical pattern based on image data comprisesprinting the marketing receipt graphical pattern in an image area of themarketing receipt and preventing the font-based barcode from printing ina font-based barcode area of the marketing receipt. 9.Transaction-related documentation comprising a purchaser receiptcomprising: a list of records of items involved in a transaction; and apurchaser barcode that encodes a transaction identifier and that conveysat least part of an image, the transaction-related documentation furthercomprising a gift receipt comprising: a list of records of itemsinvolved in a transaction; and a gift receipt barcode that encodes thetransaction identifier and that conveys at least part of an image thatdifferentiates the gift receipt from the purchaser receipt.
 10. Thetransaction-related documentation of claim 9 further comprising amarketing receipt coupon that provides an offer to a consumer, themarketing receipt coupon comprising an offer barcode that encodes anoffer identifier and that conveys an image.
 11. A method comprising:identifying a coupon to be printed on a marketing receipt; determiningthat image data for a barcode is available; printing the barcode on themarketing receipt based on the image data; and preventing printing of afont-based barcode on the marketing receipt.
 12. The method of claim 11wherein printing the barcode comprises printing the barcode in an imagearea on the marketing receipt and wherein preventing printing of afont-based barcode comprises preventing printing of the font-basedbarcode in a font-based barcode area.
 13. The method of claim 11 whereinprinting the barcode comprises printing a barcode that encodes an offeridentifier associated with the coupon and that conveys an image.
 14. Themethod of claim 13 wherein the barcode conveys an image associated withone of a group consisting of: a merchant, a department, an event, aseason, a theme, and a product.